1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an anchor for securely mounting an article of furniture or the like to a support surface and, more particularly, to an anchor for stabilizing modular office system wall panels against undesired movement resulting from seismic activity.
2. History of the Related Art
Modular office systems provide an excellent means for dividing otherwise large open areas into a plurality of smaller, more functional work spaces. A representative example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,255 issued Aug. 11, 1987 to Kelley, et al. Typically, these systems comprise a plurality of panels joined together in an end-to-end or other angular relationship. Often times, work surfaces, storage cabinets and the like are cantilevered from the wall panels through the interengagement of hanger brackets and slotted hanger rails. Such systems are well known. An example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,192 also to Kelley and issued Oct. 21, 1986.
The wall panels of the presently known systems are stabilized against undesired movement by being secured to each other and, at times, to a fixed surface such as a wall. While this arrangement is perfectly satisfactory for the vast majority of installations, occasionally it may be desirable to provide enhanced stabilization. For example, certain areas of this country, as well as the rest of the world, are subject to unexpected and potentially violent seismic or earthquake activity. These occurrences have been well documented in the press and elsewhere. Consequently, it would be desirable to have a way for securing articles of furniture or the like, and, more particularly, modular office system wall panels, to a floor surface to restrain the article against undesired movement that might result from unexpected structural or tectonic vibrations of unpredictable magnitude.